Moving to Vienna from the UK in 2026 means a long road trip across Europe, a residence permit, customs clearance for your belongings and a very strict registration deadline when you arrive. Here are seven practical tips from our removals and customs team to help your move to Vienna run smoothly.
1. Sort your visa or residence permit first
Since Brexit, UK citizens moving to Austria need a visa or residence permit to live there, whether they come to work, study, join family or live without working. Check which permit fits your situation with the Austrian authorities or the Austrian Embassy in London before you book a removal date. Your moving date should follow your permit, not the other way round.
2. Register your address within 3 days
Austria has one of the shortest registration deadlines in Europe. You must register (anmelden) at your new address in Vienna no later than three days after you move in, and you cannot register before you move in. Fill in the Meldezettel form, have it signed by your landlord or the property management, and take it with your passport to any Residence Registration Service Centre (Meldeservicestelle) at the district offices. Registration is free, and you receive a registration certificate.
Keep that certificate safe. Austrian customs accepts it as proof that you now live in Austria when you claim relief on your household goods.
3. Use transfer of residence relief to avoid duty and VAT
Your used household goods can enter Austria free of import duty and VAT when you move your normal residence from outside the EU. According to the Austrian Ministry of Finance (BMF), the main conditions are:
- you have lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months;
- you have owned and used the goods at your old home for at least 6 months;
- you will use them for the same purpose in Austria;
- you clear them through customs within 12 months of setting up residence in Austria.
New goods, alcohol, tobacco, commercial vehicles and equipment for your trade or business are not covered. For 12 months after clearance you cannot sell, lend, hire out or give away the goods without telling customs first. If you bring a car, note that registering it in Austria also triggers the NoVA vehicle tax.
4. Prepare the customs paperwork
Austrian customs uses form ZBefr 2E for relocation goods. Add a valued inventory of the load, your passport, your Vienna registration certificate, proof of your UK address for the last 12 months (tenancy agreement, council tax bill or employer letter), and your Austrian lease or employment contract. For items that look new, customs can ask for invoices showing you owned them before the move. Our customs inventory guide shows what to list.
5. Plan the route, the border and the tolls
Vienna is roughly 1,500 km from Calais by road, usually a two-day drive through France, Belgium and Germany. Since the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) started, non-EU travellers have their fingerprints and photo taken at the border on the first crossing, and at Dover and Folkestone this happens before you board. Read our guide to the EES border check at Dover. If you drive your own car or a hired van up to 3.5 tonnes behind the removal, you need an Austrian motorway vignette; vehicles over 3.5 tonnes pay the distance-based GO toll instead.
6. Check parking and access in your street
Most of Vienna is a short-stay parking zone, and many inner districts have narrow streets, trams and cycle lanes. Ask your district office about a temporary no-parking zone for the removal vehicle well before moving day. Older Viennese buildings (Altbau) often have high ceilings but small lifts or none, so measure your largest furniture and the stairwell, and tell your removal company which floor you live on.
7. Choose the right load size
A one-bedroom flat often fits a shared part load, while a family home usually needs a dedicated van or a van and trailer. Part loads are cheaper but follow a set route and timetable. A dedicated van gives you a fixed collection and delivery date. If you are unsure, read part load or full van to Europe or ask us for a quote with both options.
Moving to Vienna with MoveDay Removals
MoveDay Removals moves homes between the UK and Austria, door to door, and prepares the customs paperwork for your belongings in the same booking. Tell us your address, your Vienna district and your moving date, and we will send you a free quote. See our international removals and customs for removals pages, read the European removals after Brexit checklist, or request a free quote.
Official sources: GOV.UK – Living in Austria, City of Vienna – residence registration, BMF – transferring your residence from a non-EU country, ASFINAG – tolls in Austria.
Website: https://movedayremovals.com
Phone: 07378 626882
Email: office@movedayremovals.co.uk